It's summertime and SAMAL ISLAND, DAVAO, PHILIPPINES is the place to be!

It has always been my dream to travel but my wallet says otherwise.

I live in a country with endless beach shorelines, waterfalls, trekking sites and amazing nightlife but I have a lot more things to spend my money with. In short, I am stuck in just earning to pay bills and get by. Adulting feels great at first, but it struck me - I'm not gonna be feeling this way forever because sooner or later I am going to be an adult. Maybe I'll start having kids and the dream that I had always have will never ever be realized.

It is one thing to have friends, but it is another to have ones who are impulsive as mine. When I had my on-the-job training at APEX Mining Company, Inc., in Masara, Maco, my barkadas (a Filipino word for gang) and I talked about going abroad just to take selfies of world-famous tourist spots. We talked and planned and planned, but never did we think about having a tour of our own country until our boss mentioned to take us in a tour to Samal Island which was just hours away, for FREE. We got so into it that we then shifted into planning a tour on the island. We started discussing about the budget, schedules and transportation. We even talked about the food we wanted to find there. I thought for a while how this was just another dream that was only to be dreamt of. Another plan waiting to be busted overtime.

Lo and behold, we actually went to Samal Island! AND IT WAS THE BEST IMPULSIVE DECISION WE EVER MADE!

The Island Garden of Samal or simply Samal Island is a small paradise, just roughly 10 minutes away from Sasa Wharf in Davao city. Despite the security issues that faces Samal Island (there are numerous hostage incidents by rebels in the area), we took the risk of exploring it.

from the said if city, we took a jeepney going to panaka ang get off to, i think its 11 (onsehan) then rode a ferry. the jeepney ride costs like 13 pesos, (sorry i can't remember) and the ferry is 12 pesos. after getting in samal island, we asked some locals if there are resorts that offers cheap accomodations coz everything i saw in the net is costly.

a motorcycle driver offers us this place. he said if we're looking for adventure then we should visit it and he also said that the cottage would only cost about 700 pesos so we said go!

the ride took like 30 minutes cos i think its on the other side of the island and we had to go rough roads. indeed it was an adventure. we took us to canibad beach. unlike the sandy beaches, it is rocky with pebbles and corals. the beach is clean and peaceful.

we had a pretty decent cottage at 700 pesos. and the owner let us cook it their kitchen for our dinner. we also rent a boat for 100 an hour.

what i like in the place is it is not crowded and it is quiet. there are only few people residing in the area. and the beach is so clean.

this is me. getting tanned.

The boat trip over was very affordable and having lunch and a few drinks at the Paradise Island property is a good way of visiting friends or passing the time. The area give a very good photo op experience of Davao and Samal on the ferry boat passage. Anyhow, we met a family in the area who by the way did not recommend Samal for an overnight.

This island has so much to offer everyone. You can find affordable to luxurious resorts on this island. It is also very accessible from Davao.

We were so fulfilled and satisfied with our almost unending swimming and snorkeling and then we returned back to our station shocked to discover my wallet on top of the table, realizing I have left it unintentionally . I was so glad and thankful that it did not vanish from where I left it and the resort personnel were so honest not to take any property not theirs. Thank you Lord!

We traced our way back to the highway where a bus was waiting for passengers back to Davao City with another adventure awaits us.

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